Chargers line coach ultimate handyman

The bigger they are, the more often they fall. At least that's the case with the Chargers this year.

With injuries dinging, denting or downright dismantling it since Week 1, San Diego's offensive line has been in a constant state of flux.

But while players' bodies have suffered, the results have not -- especially those of quarterback Philip Rivers, who has posted career-best numbers through the season's first seven games.

In other words, the damage always seems to get repaired. And it's offensive line coach Joe D'Alessandris who's wearing the tool belt.

"You need a coach who understands how each individual position affects the next, and Joe does a great job of working everybody together," Chargers guard Rich Ohrnberger said of D'Alessandris. "The blocks fit just so that, as long as everyone is practicing the same technique, we can execute regardless of who's rolling in there."

D'Alessandris is like a chemist who spent his whole life studying one element. Of the 37 years he's been coaching football, 35 have been focused squarely on the offensive line.

He'll tell you that it's sports' ultimate testament to technique. He'll assert that linemen possess the brightest minds on the gridiron. He'll preach the power of persistence -- and you better believe that he has the credentials to do so.

D'Alessandris didn't ascend to the NFL ranks until 2008, when the Chiefs hired him as their assistant offensive line coach. He became the Bills' line coach in 2010, oversaw a Buffalo team that allowed the fewest sacks in the league in 2011, and eventually joined the Chargers last January.

He must have like challenges, because you can argue that the line was the 7-9 Bolts' weakest link last year. But D'Alessandris approached the reclamation project like any good repairman would -- by first giving a proper appraisal.

"I evaluated every player first. I wanted to see what their strengths and weaknesses were," said D'Alessandris. "I had no preconceived notions about anyone because I hadn't had a chance to work with them myself."

And you have to figure that he would provide a unique perspective.

D'Alessandris spent part of his career in the Canadian Football League and credits the experience for expanding his football acumen. He said the stunts and blitzes in the CFL were so advanced that it forced him to adapt in a hurry.

He also mandated that the Chargers' linemen practice with knee braces all the way up to the first preseason game, but whatever his football background or beliefs may be, he seems to be doing something right.

And it's not just the big fellas who notice.

"He's a heck of a teacher," Rivers said. "He has a calmness to him on game day in the meeting room. He teaches. It's not just a bunch of fussing and carrying on."

Funny enough, D'Alessandris recruited Rivers when he was an assistant coach at Duke, and Rivers said that telling him he'd be attending N.C. State instead "was the hardest call I've ever had to make."

These days, the communication is a lot more pleasant.

D'Alessandris said Wednesday that he knew the Chargers' line was going to be all right based on the first drive of the preseason. He saw the offseason workouts coming to fruition and the potential becoming reality.

"I saw that he had the makings of something good," D'Alessandris said. "Now it's about making better."